The Two Boys
by Meyx
Summary: A worn-out and exhausted Aqua finds herself on Destiny Islands, talking to two boys who remind her of the friends she's doing everything to try and save.


**A/N: **Hey readers! So I just got Birth By Sleep a few days ago, and I started with Aqua. When she met Sora and Riku, I knew I needed to write about it. To me, I feel like there's more going on with her in this scene than you see, so I tried to show that here while still being true to what happened...for the most part.

If you haven't played Aqua's storyline, I don't recommend reading this, as it has MASSIVE spoilers, so don't say I didn't warn you.

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Aqua couldn't figure out what caused the light that drew her in to Destiny Islands. It called to her and beckoned her closer. She didn't know why she followed it, just that she did.

She landed on a sandy beach, a wooden bridge behind her, more sand below it, an oddly shaped tree to her right, and a beautiful ocean in front of her. She smiled softly at it before looking at the odd tree. There were fruit at the top, shaped the same as her Wayfinder. She took the aforementioned item out of the secret pocket inside her corset top and stared at it sadly.

_Ven…Terra…I hope we're ready for the storm that's coming. _Aqua thought to herself.

The thought of what was happening to the two of them, and to her as well, tore at her heart painfully. It seemed like so long ago that she had given them the Wayfinders she had made from metal and glass. She felt so exhausted, and sick to her stomach with the thought of how badly this could all turn out with one wrong move from Terra, Ventus, or herself.

Aqua sat down on the oddly shaped tree then, noting absently that it was shaped as a perfect bench and could fit at least three people on it. She drew one leg up to her chest and let the other one dangle, facing the sea and holding her Wayfinder so tightly that the sharp edges almost drew blood.

She didn't know how long she sat there, thinking absolutely nothing and staring at the sky without really seeing it. It felt good to sit down for a while and rest her aching body and her weary mind.

She heard them before she saw them.

"Hey! Wait up!" A young boy cried from somewhere below her.

"Huh?" Aqua said, looking around.

"Too slow, Sora! See you at the finish line!" Another young boy yelled, this one closer than the last.

She hurried to the bridge and looked at the beach a few feet below her, seeing two boys running across the sand. The one in front had silver hair, and the one behind him had brown hair that stuck up in all directions. She watched with a small smile on her face as they reached a line in the sand that was clearly hand drawn. The silver haired boy got there first, and the brunette passed it a few seconds later, breathing heavily.

"One more time!" He exclaimed when he caught his breath. "You just got lucky!"

The other boy wasn't listening to his friend. He was staring curiously at Aqua. She smiled down at him, holding back a giggle at his stare. After a moment, the brunette boy looked up at her as well, and she jumped down from the bridge, landing in front of them. Up close, she could see that the brown haired boy was almost a head shorter than his silver haired friend, and had dark blue eyes that sparkled with light.

The other boy's hair was long, reaching almost to his chin, and his eyes were a startlingly intense blue-green color that she had never seen before. He stared at her seriously, and the look seemed so wrong to her. He was so young, but already he seemed jaded and guarded.

_He reminds me so much of Terra. So serious and sincere…even the way he stands. Knees slightly bent, his body facing me at an angle, as if to guard his friend from an impending threat. _

It made her want to smile…and to cry. Her eyes flitted to the next boy, who stared up at her innocently.

_And this boy…he's the spitting image of Ven. The same eyes and unruly hair – though the color is different – even the same expression, so simple and pure and _open. _I feel like I'm looking at Ventus as he was as a child._

The thought made her chuckle to herself. The boys looked at her quizzically, both of them saying "Huh?" simultaneously. She stared at them for a heartbeat longer, feeling something extraordinary radiating from these boys. It was the same feeling she had got from Kairi, the young girl she met in Radiant Garden. These boys didn't have the same amount of light as the girl, but the same incredible feeling was flowing around them like an aura.

"One of you just might be special enough," she said softly.

Normally, a Keyblade Wielder didn't choose a successor to their legacy until they were much older. They waited until they knew their time as a Wielder was running out, and then passed on their legacy to a child who they felt would be strong enough to bear it. Aqua had assumed she wouldn't have to make the choice until she was at least Master Eraqus's age, if not older, but with everything that had been happening, she suddenly had a strong sense of foreboding.

_Our time is running out._

If she wanted her legacy to continue, she needed to pass it on to someone quickly, so her line wouldn't die out.

"Hey, you two mind telling me your names?" She asked the boys quickly.

"I'm Sora!" The brunette boy said cheerfully.

The other boy continued to stare at her, saying nothing.

"And you?" She prompted gently.

"…Riku." He said after a moment.

Her eyes widened a bit as a small blast of energy shot through her at the sound of his innocent voice.

_Someone has already passed this boy the power. Was it Terra? Did he see the same thing in this boy that I see?_

She made up her mind then and there. Turning to Sora, she asked, "Sora, do you like Riku?"

"Of course I like him, he's my best friend!" Sora exclaimed, and Riku smiled for a split second.

"Good." Aqua said, hoping to whatever higher power there was that these two boys would remember what she was about to say. It could mean the difference between light and dark for them, later on. "So then, if something happens, and Riku is about to get lost – or say, he starts wandering down a dark path alone – you make sure to stay with him, and keep him safe. That's your job, Sora, and I'm counting on you to do it, okay?"

Sora looked at her quizzically, but Riku's expression showed her that he understood she had said something very important. She could see Terra in his eyes, and it broke her heart. She hoped beyond anything that this boy's fate wouldn't be the same as her friend's.

Seeing that she had started to worry Sora, she forced herself to laugh brightly and pat both boys' heads. They smiled at her and headed for the dock, Sora waving over his shoulder at her.

After a long moment, she headed back up to the tree and watched the two young boys get into a rowboat and paddle away. She sat there watching them until they disappeared from her sight, and she felt tears sting at her eyes.

_One keyblade is enough for any friendship. I learned that the hard way. I wouldn't wish our lives on those children. _

Aqua looked down at her Wayfinder again, feeling tears roll down her cheeks.

"Terra," she whispered out loud, as if her Wayfinder could carry her words to his, "please tell me – what's to become of us?"

She left the islands soon after that, feeling more worn-out than she had before she arrived. The burden of the two boys' fates weighed heavily on her heart, much more so than the spell she had cast on Kairi's necklace. For the young girl's sake, Aqua hoped the little redhead would never take that necklace off.

As her keyblade took her farther away from Destiny Islands, Aqua couldn't shake the feeling that those three children were all connected by fate. She hoped that she, Terra, and Ven would be around long enough to see whether her suspicions were right.

God, she was so _tired._

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Thanks for reading! Please review, if you would :)


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